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POLITICO 44

Fox News, always a lightning rod of liberal criticism, came under particularly strong attack from former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean on Sunday, when he accused the network of committing an "absolutely racist" act by playing a now- famously misleading video from Shirley Sherrod without checking it.

In response, Fox's Chris Wallace insisted that "the video never played on the Fox News Channel before the White House fired her." His point was that Fox did not treat the video as a legitimate story until the Obama administration's action made it one.

Following the exchange, Fox News Senior Vice President of News Michael Clemente said that "some people, such as the failed candidate Dean, reflexively blame Fox for almost anything."

As far as Fox's television broadcast is concerned, Wallace was correct: The first mention of the Sherrod video, which surfaced on Monday, July19th on Andrew Breitbart's BigGovernment.com, was made later that day on Bill O'Reilly's 8 p.m. show. O'Reilly later apologized for how he characterized Sherrod.

But FoxNews.com did run a story about the existence of the video, titled "Video Shows USDA Official Saying She Didn't Give 'Full Force' of Help to White Farmer" at 5:58 p.m. on Monday, an hour before the Agriculture Department announced Sherrod’s resignation. And Wednesday, Clemente told POLITICO that was a mistake.

"There was a breakdown in the system, and it is being addressed," he said. "But it must say something about the power of Fox, that a week after she resigned, we're still talking about this."

The breakdown occurred following Fox's afternoon news meeting that day, when Clemente, according to The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz offered the following advice: "Let's take our time and get the facts straight on this story. Can we get confirmation and comments from Sherrod before going on-air. Let's make sure we do this right."

Clemente said he gave the advice in the meeting, not in a memo to staff, and his guidance clearly did not make it down to the reporter and producers who put the story on FoxNews.com.

Since the story was first posted, it has been updated to reflect Sherrod's resignation, but its original version was republished by another website, and posted in a timeline created by Media Matters, the liberal media monitor.

That version begins: "Days after the NAACP clashed with Tea Party members over allegations of racism, a video has surfaced showing an Agriculture Department official regaling an NAACP audience with a story about how she withheld help to a white farmer facing bankruptcy."

The story says FoxNews.com was seeking comment from the USDA and NAACP.

This is also a false story. There was no "breakdown". Fox is a major part of the Republican party's propaganda machine. They were simply carrying out their purpose. This was simply a case of the facts catching up with them. Much of what they report distorts the facts as they relate to the President and/or Democrats and this little episode will not change that.

I have no doubt in my mind that Fox would still be playing that video in an almost endless loop had the truth not come out. The Republicans need to create racial animosity to get middle income and poor white people to vote against their best interest and for the GOP. This cynical manipulation has reached a level of dishonesty that is slick, calculated, and sadly effective. One only needs to read the threads right here at Politico to see how many people swallow the falsehoods hook, line, and sinker.

After the Republicans wrecked the economy, wasted many lives and much treasure, they have successfully convinced some people that the Democrats are responsible for their pain. The next move is to get their votes and deliver much of the same pain.

I have no doubt in my mind that Fox would still be playing that video in an almost endless loop had the truth not come out. The Republicans need to create racial animosity to get middle income and poor white people to vote against their best interest and for the GOP.

But FoxNews.com did run a story about the existence of the video, titled "Video Shows USDA Official Saying She Didn't Give 'Full Force' of Help to White Farmer" at 5:18 p.m. on Monday, an hour and a half before the Agriculture Department announced Sherrod's resignation.

Proof for you wing nuts that refuse to believe anything negative about Fox News.

The real story here is the incompetence of the Obama administration but we knew they were inexperienced when we elected them. Maybe we should apologize to the American people and vote the idiots out in november and Obama out in 2012